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New Year, Best You

01Jan

We hear it all the time — New Year, New You. At first it sounds pretty good, right? After all, everyone has things they want to improve about themselves. The idea of a ‘new you’ conjures up visions of You 2.0; your face photoshopped on top of Wonder Woman or Superman’s body.

But in fact, the new year isn’t about finding a new you — it’s about becoming your best self. For me, that means taking the commitments I made to myself in 2017 to the next level. From my health and gluten-free diet to my happiness and life goals, I’m excited to head into 2018 in search not of a new me, but my very best self.

Care to join me? Here are three ways I’m taking things to the next level in 2018.

Gratitude

There’s a great quote from Dr. Robert Holden: “The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.” Looking back on 2017, do you feel you practiced enough gratitude? I know that I have room to grow in this department. In 2016, I resolved to practice more gratitude and throughout the year, I’ve found that when I do take the time to slow down and be grateful, it helps me be more present and optimistic about what’s ahead.

In the new year, my goal is to be more intentional about practicing gratitude. Every week, I’ll take time to reflect on what I’m grateful for and why in a dedicated gratitude journal. My hope is that the practice will increase my happiness, my appreciation for my health, my family, my friends, and inspire kindness towards others.

With National Gluten Free Day just around the corner on January 8th, I’ll kick off my practice with reflections on how grateful I am for the wonderful small businesses (like The GFB!), bloggers, and advocates in the gluten-free community. It takes a village!

Growth

The New Year is all about setting resolutions. While it can feel arbitrary to set goals simply because the calendar year is changing, it’s a great opportunity to take stock of your achievements so far and your goals for the year ahead. This year, I dug up my list of 2017 resolutions and reviewed what I accomplished, what I didn’t, and which aspects of my goals have changed. Moving in 2018, I’ve decided to aim for specificity in my goals. Last year, I included resolutions like, “Eat healthier” and “Do what makes you happy” on my list. This year, I’ve decided to use apps like Wunderlist to name specific things I hope to accomplish in 2018, making it that much more achievable. For example, instead of simply resolving to eat healthier, I’ve decided to find 5 new, healthy gluten-free products to incorporate into my diet.

Vision

This year, I was introduced to the idea of Visioning. Do you ever feel like you’re moving through life with aspirations, but no clear vision of the future you’re working towards? Visioning is the process of articulating that future position in vivid detail, creating an end goal that is equal parts achievable and inspiring.

This is the perfect time of year to sit down and complete a visioning exercise that will help you clarify what you’re working for in 2018. Sit down and free-write what success will look like for you at a certain point in the future. Where will you live? Who are you with? What are you doing for work? What are you doing in your free time? What are you putting in your body — and what are you not? Be as specific as possible as you envision your bright future.

What are you doing this New Year to become the best you that you can be? Let us know what you’re doing to make 2018 your best year yet!